7:15 AM AU - Things go a bit differently in the cabin during 7:15 AM. With memories returned, how will this change things?
Wow! Such a great response to this fic, which has turned out to be even more amazing than I thought it would. The idea for this fic actually started as an idea in my head on a drive to work, way back in January or February when I actually still drove to work. I work from home now like most and am glad this idea came to fruition. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the twists and turns. Season 1 can be very fun to play with. Enjoy this latest and keep reviewing! Here are individual responses to reviews:
Ghostwriter: Yeah, Neal and Emma do need to talk. It will definitely be interesting. Glad you're enjoying. :)
Jennifer Baratta: I know, it was a bit of a heart wrenching chapter. Glad you're enjoying though. :)
Bwayrox: Yep, Snow and Charming have their work cut out for them. Emma is very stubborn and not being very nice right now. Yeah, Regina won't be sitting still at all. :)
Grace5231973: Yeah, that one was a bit depressing. It does get better though, I promise. :)
Number Ten: No, Gold doesn't regret anything. Yeah, Emma likes to run away when she's in pain. Hopefully, she will stop being in denial and face everything soon. Yep, Henry is the boss in this chapter for sure. Yep, Tamara is already coming into the picture. I don't think we ever found out why she really hated magic. I usually end up making up my own reasons for her hating magic. :)
Sexystarwarslover: Definitely. I think Neal may be able to help mend things between Snowing and Emma. Yep, both Regina and Gold have responsibility in their situation. Yep, denial was definitely the theme of this chapter. Yep, Henry is dropping the truth bombs. It's a good question from Jefferson. But not even Gold knew about the book. Yep, time for Emma to learn her history. I know, this was a rough chapter for Snowing. Yep, Emma has Snow's denial and David's tunnel vision. Yep, Tamara has mysterious new employers. I know, Emma moving out was heartbreaking. Yep, I tend to mostly blame Regina too. Glad you're enjoying! :)
AnonSnowing: Yep, denial was the perfect title for this chapter. Gold probably could, but I doubt anyone would really trust him with the results. He always has an agenda and at this point, Emma is only going to believe science. Yeah, it was a bit of a sad chapter for Snowing. Yep, the jig is up for Regina. Yeah, I'd say the book has really done its job here. Yep, it's her history and she knows it, but she's in denial still. She is being a bit arrogant. I always thought she was a little cruel to her parents at times and decided to highlight it a bit here. Emma needs to realize that everyone has had hardships and not just her. Yeah, she'll come around eventually. She is the perfect mix of her parents. Yep, Tamara is in the mix and there's a question about who she's working for here. It's hard to say who it is, but I'm glad you like my twists. Yeah, because of what happened in New York, things are much more complicated now. Yep, things are probably going to get worse before they get better. Yeah, Emma is just in denial. She has been looking for them for years and now that she's found them, her first instinct is to blame and run. It's easier to think they're all crazy than to accept that the book is real. Yes, both Regina and Gold share some responsibility regarding the curse. Yeah, the foster system is not good, but her parents had their hardships too. Yeah, that's part of it. Emma is scared of being hurt, abandoned or even losing them again. It was a tough chapter, especially for Snowing. But it will get better, promise. ;)
Clarity
Chapter 9: Rebellion
Regina glared out the window that morning at the town that was supposed to be hers. The moment Emma Swan came to town, control began to slip through her fingers and she didn't like it at all. She thought by giving the amnesiac David Nolan curse memories of a fake wife that it would effectively separate him from Mary Margaret. And even when it didn't, she had taken great pleasure in exposing them as adulterers and making them public enemy number one to the entire town. David Nolan had even been fired from his job, a nice plus that she didn't even have anything to do with.
But things had taken a turn against her. The town still hated her biggest enemies, but her son had turned almost completely against her. Add to that, his biological father had emerged into the picture and he happened to be the son of her old mentor and now enemy, the Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin himself. And that did not bode well for her at all. Emma also now knew that the curse was real, even if the stubborn blonde was denying it. She took a small glint of satisfaction though when she learned that she had checked into Granny's Inn. She was hoping she would run into the two idiots later so she could rub salt in that open wound. But it would get harder for Emma to deny the reality of the curse soon and if it broke, Regina knew she would lose everything. She had to do something to prevent that, though she wasn't sure how yet. But in the meantime, there was one thing she could do to stick it to her greatest enemy and she intended to do just that as she picked up the phone.
David put the pancakes on the plates and looked toward the bed that morning. Snow was awake, but still in bed, which didn't surprise him. Emma's rejection had hit them both hard and neither of them knew exactly how to move forward from here. So breakfast in bed, though likely to have no effect, was his attempt to cheer her up. Nevermind the fact that he was cooking for them, because they were both banned from the diner. That didn't bother them too much though. The town could hate them all they wanted, but Emma hating them was a pill neither of them wanted to swallow. He was surprised though when he saw her standing in the kitchen.
"Hey…" he greeted her, admiring the way she looked wearing just his plaid shirt from the day before.
"Hey…" she greeted, before pecking him on the lips.
"I was going to bring you breakfast in bed," he mentioned.
"I know...and you're sweet, but I need to stop wallowing in self pity and have a proper breakfast with my husband at the table," she said. He smiled gently.
"I'm glad you feel that way," he said, as he put their plates on the table and she poured them some orange juice.
"Pancakes…I didn't know you knew how to make pancakes," she mused.
"It's a box mix...and I have vague curse memories of making them. I put cinnamon in them though," he mentioned, making her smile, as they ate together. After they finished, Snow ended up in his chair with him, draped across his lap, as they kissed passionately. She rested her head against his shoulder, content to let him hold her.
"I guess I better get ready for work," she said.
"Yeah…I need to find a job too. Hopefully, I can find someone in this town that's not judgmental," he mentioned, as they stood up, just as her phone rang.
"Hello…" she answered.
"Oh hi Principal Miller," she said.
"Wait...you're what?" she asked and then shook her head.
"I don't understand...there is no reason for you to do this! My class has some of the highest test scores of all," she said, raising her voice a bit, but she then closed her eyes when it became clear that he didn't care and the line went dead.
"Don't tell me…" he said.
"Yeah…I just got fired. He said that concerned parents have come forward and are no longer comfortable with someone of my character teaching their children," she replied, as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.
"This has Regina written all over it," he said, as he pulled her into his arms.
"What are we going to do?" she asked.
"I don't know...but we're not going to lose hope. That's exactly what that bitch wants," he replied. She sniffed.
"How do we fight her? How do we fight her in a town where she can just make a call and get me fired? Or you? Even if we do find other jobs...how long until she pressures those people to fire us?" Snow asked.
"We fight her like we always have by doing what infuriates her the most," he answered.
"And what's that?" she asked.
"We be happy...it will piss her off more than anything," he answered. She sighed.
"I'm serious...and today is the perfect day to really stick it to her and the whole town," he said.
"Why today?" she asked, as he pointed at the calendar and she smiled gently.
"Valentine's Day," she said.
"Exactly. The town seems to have a problem with us, so instead of avoiding everyone and staying in like we've been doing, we should do the opposite," he replied.
"So you want to go out? Like on a real date?" she asked.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Well, we're sort of banned from Granny's," she reminded him.
"So screw Granny's. We'll go have a picnic in the park for all to see and then we'll go to the Rabbit Hole for a drink and some dancing. They let anyone in," he mused. She snorted at that.
"The Rabbit Hole...I guess that could be fun," she said, as he took her in his arms.
"Yeah and you can wear a sexy dress and we can show the town that our love is real and we're not going away. They and Regina want us to hide in shame so we should be doing the opposite," he said. She bit her bottom lip.
"Okay...let's do it. Screw Regina," she said. He smiled and kissed her soundly.
"You clean up and I'll pack for our picnic. Then we'll come home and go out tonight and rub it in everyone's faces," he replied. But she grabbed his hand.
"We can both pack for the picnic later...because I'd much rather you join me in the shower now," she said in a sultry tone. He grinned, as their lips met again and she pulled him toward the bathroom with her.
Henry stormed into the house ahead of Regina and stomped upstairs after dropping his backpack on the floor.
"Henry…" Regina called in irritation, but he only responded by purposely taking his shoes off and tossed them on the stairs. She hated when he did that, so she wasn't surprised by him doing it deliberately.
"Henry…" she called through his doorway and then went inside.
"Go away!" Henry cried.
"No...we're going to talk," she insisted.
"I don't want to talk to you! You got Miss Blanchard fired!" he yelled.
"She's not a good person, Henry," Regina claimed as calmly as possible.
"You're wrong! You're the bad person and she's really my grandmother!" he shouted angrily. Regina took a deep breath, trying to calm her temper.
"Fine...you can just sit in here and pout, while I go make dinner. Then you will come down and we will eat together," she said, as she left and closed the door. But Henry had other ideas. He grabbed another pair of shoes and then quietly opened the window. He climbed out onto the tree branched and made his way down the tree, before running away.
"Mmm…" Snow mewled, as he fed her another bite of the chocolate cake they had brought with them. She giggled, as he then kissed her again after she swallowed.
"This was the best idea," she mentioned.
"Really? Even with all the dirty looks we've gotten?" he asked. At least fifteen people had walked by the park so far and acted like expected at the sight of them.
"Actually…I think that's making this more fun. I mean, this whole not giving a damn thing makes it very easy," Snow replied.
"Definitely...being rebels is kind of fun," he agreed, as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"And watching a bunch of old hen's heads explode. I think the book club coming to the park for their meeting and then leaving in a tizzy once they saw us was probably the best," she giggled. He grinned.
"Yeah...that was pretty good and I love seeing you smile and hearing you laugh. Making you happy is my mission in life," he said, as he pressed a kiss to her hair. She raised her head and kissed his lips again.
"You do...you always do," she said in a dreamy tone.
"This is the best Valentine's Day ever, though it's not really hard to beat Mary Margaret's previous Valentine's Days which consisted of a box of chocolates and cheesy romance movies," she mentioned. He hummed and kissed her again.
"This curse is weird...all the memories are there, but vague and distant. Like I remember literal things that never happened and yet can't discern any real passage of time," he said. She hummed at that.
"I know what you mean. My life as Mary Margaret was basically the same day over and over again, with a few minor differences. I supposedly even went to college in Boston, but I've never been there. There's just one vague memory of me sitting in some classroom that never happened," she explained.
"Was this really her plan? I mean, she succeeded in separating us, mostly thanks to my coma, but this is it?" he wondered. She shrugged.
"I guess...I mean, I wonder if she really understood what the curse even was exactly. The Dark One sold it to her as a way of getting revenge on us and taking away everyone's happy endings. Maybe that was enough for her...for a while anyway," she said.
"Yeah...somehow I doubt he gave her a lot of detail about exactly what the place the curse would take us would be like. In some ways...this world is better. Easy access to food, medicine, and a much easier way of life," he mentioned.
"Yes…I do like the conveniences of this world. But people don't believe in anything in this world. To most, true love only exists in movies and stories," she said, with a touch of sadness in her voice.
"Well...for us, we know that's not true. And who knows, maybe we'll show them our love is real and they'll start to believe in something. Maybe believing is truly will end this curse. Henry believed and look at everything that happened just because of him," he said.
"I guess you're right...we owe him a lot. But will Emma ever believe?" Snow asked.
"I don't know...but we can have hope," he replied, as he kissed her tenderly.
"Now...let's go home and change for tonight. Then we can really make waves," he said, as he offered his hand and helped her up. They packed up their basket and headed back to the loft.
Henry stormed down the street and spotted Emma outside the station by the bug.
"Hey kid...aren't you supposed to be home grounded?" she asked.
"I sneaked out the window," he replied. She sighed.
"Henry...you can't keep doing that. Your Mom is already pissed enough at me," Emma said.
"You are my mom," he corrected. She sighed again.
"I am...but we still have to respect your other mom's rules and I'm in enough hot water as it is," Emma replied.
"But I don't want to go back there," he whined. She sighed.
"Tell you what...let's go get you a cocoa and talk a little bit. Then maybe we can get you back before she notices," Emma said, as they got in the bug.
"How was school?" she asked.
"Really bad...Miss Blanchard was fired," he replied.
"What?" she asked in alarm.
"You didn't know? You live together...she didn't tell you?" he asked.
"Uh no...I sort of moved out last night," she replied.
"Why?" he asked sharply.
"It's complicated, Henry," she tried to explain, but he immediately got out of the car.
"No it's not! They're your parents and they only gave you up, because of my other Mom! But you won't believe it!" he said angrily, as he ran off.
"Henry, wait!" Emma called, as she started chasing after him, until her phone rang.
"Dammit…" she cursed, as she answered.
"Sheriff…" she said and then closed her eyes, sighing.
"Yeah…I'll be right there," she said. Henry would have to wait a bit, as she had to go pull a drunk out of the Rabbit Hole, as usual...